Where can I find a good cruise on or after August 17, 2008?

Question

I get married next year, August 16, 2008, and I want to book a cruise for our honeymoon. The only ones I have found are to the Caribbean and Bermuda. I don't mind, but I'd like to go on a cruise that is a bit longer than 6 nights. Can anyone give me a good website to go on? Thanks.

Answer 1

vacationstogo.com. click on find a bargain and put in your dates and length of cruise.

Answer 2

There are hundreds of options for you.  I will give you advice based on MY experiences.  First you need to book early as all of the cruise lines give early booking discounts.  So right now is not too early and most cruise lines have their cruises on line right now for 2008 and some 2009 cruises.

Second, be somewhat flexible with your dates that you go on a cruise.  The week of August 17 through 23 next year may sound wonderful because you get married and go the next day on a honeymoon.  But the best price may be 2, 3, or 4 weeks or a couple months later.  Just be aware of that and be flexible.  We did an Alaska cruise-tour on Princess for our honeymoon several years ago but we went a month after our wedding.  That gave us time to settle down wedding chores and not be rushed to catch a flight and ship.  We thus enjoyed our cruise more.

Third you need to shop around the cruise line web sites, even if you eventually use a travel agent for the booking. You can do your own booking right online, I do it all of the time.  The cruise lines have everything that you need right on their web sites.

OK, where to go:

One option for a cruise that is 7 or more days is Alaska.  The Alaska cruise season is from May to Sept.  The weather is generally warmer in June, July and Aug, but it can also be pleasant in May and Sept. When we went a few years ago in May it was shirt sleeve weather (70's) in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The best Alaska cruise experience is the CRUISE-TOUR. Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean all run cruise tours which take you by train all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska. Princess and RC have special domed train cars for this. Your best chance to see wild animals will be if you do a cruise-tour where you go further north after cruising the inside passage.

The Mediterranean and/or Baltic:

You can get 7, 12 and 14 day cruises and the August September time frame would be a good time for either.  RC, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival and Norwegian all run cruises on both itineraries.

Canada & New England:

This itinerary is available on several cruie lines in the fall. We went on a RC ship, the Jewel of the Seas last year and it was a great cruise and the ship is fabulous.

Below are some cruise line web sites.  I have been on Many cruise, most on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.  My recommendation, based on my experiences, would be Royal Caribbean, Princess or Celebrity.  The others are Ok but I think these three are tops.